If you teach beginner ESL to adults or teens, you know how difficult it can be to find appropriate English language learners worksheets and materials. You want materials for English language learners that are engaging and effective and not babyish. Here’s what to look for when choosing materials.
English Language Learners Need Visual Aids
Choose materials that have a lot of visual support. Beginners don’t have a lot of vocabulary yet, so pictures are extremely helpful to aid in comprehension. It is important to look for materials that have pictures that are geared toward older learners, so make sure you don’t choose items intended for children.
Simple Grammar Explanations
Don’t overwhelm students with grammar explanations that are too in-depth. Sometimes we can go down the rabbit hole explaining all the ins and outs of English grammar, but that is just too much for beginners. Start simple with the goal of getting students to use the grammar structure to communicate at their level. Here is an example of a short, simple explanation of personal pronouns.
Scaffolded Activities for Student Success
Beginners need to start off with very simple practice activities like fill-in-the-blank activities or basic multiple choice activities. After that, the activities can get more open-ended until they can write complete sentences. Students can work through the exercises at their own pace.
Choosing the right English language learners worksheets and teaching materials takes careful consideration. We want to lower the affective filter for optimal learning. By making sure our materials have engaging visuals, simple grammar explanations, and scaffolded activities, we can help students master basic grammar while they gain confidence in their ability to communicate effectively in English.
For more tips and tricks for teaching beginner ESL, check out this post on how to teach ESL to beginners.
Looking for no-prep basic English grammar lessons for adults and teens? I’ve got you covered! Click the image below to check out the grammar bundle.
